


Empty Spaces

by roswyrm



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Loss, M/M, Mutual Pining, general Ow What The Fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 06:45:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roswyrm/pseuds/roswyrm
Summary: Prague is a big city, so it only stands to reasonHamid was so excited to go to Prague, something about the magic there, Zolf wasn't listening, too caught up in the way he smiled—Zolf wasn't looking forward to Prague, but he listened whenever Hamid would ramble, so Hamid made it a habit to ramble just so he could have Zolf's attention—that there's lots of negative space.





	1. lost & losing it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blacksatinpointeshoes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksatinpointeshoes/gifts).



> This isn't my fault I swear. Working Title: HEY WHAT THE FUCK

Hamid is _there,_ and he's _tangible_ and Zolf doesn't know what to do with that. He awkwardly pats Hamid on the back and tries (fails miserably, he's sure, but he does at least make an effort) to hug Hamid back.  
\---  
"Sure wish I had any idea what people were saying," Zolf grumbles to himself and

_Hamid smiles sheepishly at him and says, "Oh! Of course. Um, the gnome is saying that–"_

the empty air next to him doesn't translate.  
\---  
Zolf jolts awake, breathing hard, and he doesn't know if the dampness of his face is from sweat or from tears and

_Hamid grabs his hand and holds him close and murmurs comforting words and Zolf lets himself relax, for once in his life, face pressed into Hamid's shoulder, squeezing his hand, choking out apologies that Hamid doesn't accept because Hamid doesn't care that Zolf is a mess, he cares that Zolf is_

no one comes to make sure he's alright.  
\---  
Zolf manages (somehow) to order himself lunch. He was expecting a soup, but apparently, he asked for a sandwich? Whatever. Food is food, and Zolf's not picky. The food's

_Hamid stares hopefully at Zolf's food, and Zolf doesn't even pretend to be angry when Hamid carefully sneaks a little less than half of it onto his own plate. It's alright, Zolf wasn't that hungry anyway, and the smile Hamid gives him is_

fine. It's filling, or something. Zolf can only stomach half of it.  
\---  
Zolf buys the cheapest hotel room he can find, and it's

_Hamid blinks at the presidential suite in wonder, a slightly awestruck smile curling at his lips. He steps out of the elevator, looking perfectly at home in all of the splendour, and he's so entranced that he doesn't even notice the way Zolf stares at him like he's_

pretty.  
_Decent,_ pretty decent, he means.  
The room. 

Zolf sits on the bed and holds his head in his hands. "They're better off without me," he reminds himself.


	2. not alone & still so lonely

Zolf stills against him, and for a second Hamid is terrified he's crossed a line. But Zolf is _leaving,_ and he's going to be _gone,_ and Hamid doesn't know what else he was supposed to do. Zolf slowly, clumsily, awkwardly pats Hamid on the back. One arm comes up around Hamid's waist, and he very nearly starts crying.  
\---  
Bertie is hurt, and Hamid turns to look up at

_Zolf, already rolling his eyes and taking out his canteen of seawater, telling Bertie to hold still, and Hamid can't help but smile at his_

the paladin, only two inches taller than him. Grizzop tugs Bertie in closer and heals them all at once. 

The magic is silver instead of blue.  
\---  
The rings on the college board's fingers bear the Harlequin signet, so Hamid reaches up just a bit and

_clutches at Zolf's hand and doesn't let go. "It's okay," he murmurs, "I'm here." Zolf's voice breaks around the third curse he lobs at his god, and then he's folding inward like a marionette with the strings snapped, sobbing into Hamid's shoulder, and Hamid interlaces their fingers_

his fist closes around the empty air where a ring just like theirs should be.  
\---  
Hamid smiles at the concierge and politely requests

_two rooms, so Sasha and Bertie (who snore) are stuck in one room, and Zolf and Hamid can have the other. Sometimes Hamid toys with the idea of accidentally-on-purpose ordering a single instead of a double, so he'll have an excuse to_

two rooms and Grizzop asks, "Can't you get one with two beds and a pullout couch? There's only three of us."  
\---  
Hamid is looking for books on bloodline-based magic because that's what he has. Bloodline magic. The bookstore is big, though, and Hamid never properly navigated it when he was a student, and he ends up finding the S section, but for fiction. _The Passion of the Sun,_ reads the spine of one book, with _The Passion of the Son_ right after it and Hamid looks for the third in the series because it's

_garbage. The whole book is ridiculous drivel, and he doesn't understand in the least why Zolf likes this author so much_

perfect for an apology. Or, it would be, if it weren't translated into Czech.

Hamid buys it anyway.

 _If Zolf comes back, maybe Hamid could teach him enough Czech to read it._  
_If Zolf comes back._

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhhh yeah i'm also crying. find me on tumblr @roswyrm i'm usually much nicer i promise


End file.
